This invention relates to the field of soft ice cream freezers, and frozen beverage dispensers, specifically to a small and portable, self-contained, self-cleaning domestic frozen food and beverage system having the capability of preparing and dispensing soft ice cream products, frozen yoghurt products, milk shakes, slush drinks, and other smooth frozen foods and beverages automatically, in a short period of time, and in an efficient and spill-free manner. A user would simply transfer ingredients for the desired product from a holding container with a specifically configured bottle cap into a paired receptacle communicating with the thermally conductive freezing chamber, the paired bottle cap and receptacle blocking transfer of ingredients until the bottle cap is securely seated within the receptacle. Ingredient flow is again blocked as soon as the bottle cap begins to be drawn away from the receptacle, thus avoiding the opportunity for any spills. In addition to being spill-free, ingredient transfer into the freezing chamber can also be made hands-free. Once the correct amount of the desired ingredients has been transferred into the freezing chamber of the present invention, and since it is a fully integrated, automated, programmable machine, to begin the freezing process a user would simply select and depress the start button corresponding to the type of product desired. An inlet port or ports evenly disposed about the freezing chamber to introduce fluid flow under pressure around the outside of the freezing chamber for maintaining a substantially uniform temperature therein and an auger member disposed within the freezing chamber in a position to rotate about its longitudinal axis in a first direction while concurrently rotating about the longitudinal axis of the freezing chamber in a second direction that is substantially opposite to the first rotational direction, help the present invention to achieve a rapidly frozen product, typically within a time period of less than 15 minutes. Once operation begins, a microprocessor within the housing controls the temperature and speed of ingredient mixing until auger toque indicates that the product has reached the consistency desired, whereafter the system automatically shuts itself off after sending a signal to the user that the partially frozen product is ready for consumption.
There have been many ice cream freezers designed for domestic use. Some prior art ice cream freezers contemplate a thermally conductive freezing chamber that is removably placed within an insulated outer housing filled with freezing agent during an initial cooling phase, during which the product within the freezing chamber is thoroughly mixed, with the freezing chamber being placed into the freezer portion of a refrigerator after the initial cooling phase for product storage until use. Others contemplate the use of a freezing agent being routed through coils placed in contact with the thermally conductive freezing chamber. Most can be messy to use, and/or awkward or cumbersome to clean after use. While in U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,512 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,734 the inventor herein has been one of several co-inventors previously disclosing a freezing chamber having a plurality of inlet ports and the use of an auger member with concurrently opposing dual rotational means to produce a soft frozen food product, there is no prior art known that discloses a compact and easily portable, self-contained, self-cleaning, fully integrated, automated and programmable domestic frozen food and beverage system with all of the features and advantages of the present invention, including the capability of preparing and dispensing soft ice cream products, frozen yoghurt products, milk shakes, slush drinks, and other types of frozen food and beverage products automatically, in a short period of time, and in a neat, efficient and spill-free manner.
The primary object of this invention is to provide a compact, self-contained domestic freezing and dispensing system for countertop use that can chill foods and beverages to a desired temperature and consistency in a short period of time. A further object of this invention is to provide a freezing and dispensing system that is efficient and easy to use. It is also the object of this invention to provide a freezing and dispensing system that creates partially frozen food and beverage products automatically and without a mess. It is a further object of this invention to provide a freezing and dispensing system that is compact in configuration for countertop use, sufficiently lightweight so as to be easily portable, and aesthetically pleasing in design. It is also an object of this invention to provide a freezing and dispensing system that is self-cleaning after use. It is a further object of this invention to provide a freezing and dispensing system that allows for spill-free introduction of product ingredients into its freezing chamber. It is also an object of this invention to provide a freezing and dispensing system with which a user can produce a wide variety of partially frozen food and beverage products.
As described herein, properly manufactured and used, the frozen food and beverage preparation and dispensing system of the present invention is a fully integrated, automated, and programmable machine that is small, compact, and easily portable, and allows domestic users to make smooth frozen foods and beverages rapidly and without a mess. In 15 minutes or less, a user could have soft ice cream, frozen yoghurt, a milk shake, or a slush drink, simply by 1) adding a prepackaged mix into the system though a dispensing bottle cap and receptacle combination that prevents ingredient flow until the dispensing bottle cap is fully seated within the receptacle, 2) discarding the dispensing container in an appropriate receptacle, 3) selecting one of several touch keys or buttons that corresponds to the desired final consistency of the intended product, and when the system signals to a user that the product is finished 4) selecting the touch key or button that will cause the soft frozen product to be dispensed. When the xe2x80x98Dispensexe2x80x99 mode is used, the auger operates at a higher speed to push frozen product, or cleaning solution, beyond the beyond the pattern cap attached to the dispensing head. Clean up after use is also automated, fast, and efficient. The user simple adds a cleaning solution, sanitizing solution, or water instead of food product ingredients, and then selects the touch key or button indicating a xe2x80x98washxe2x80x99or xe2x80x98cleaning cyclexe2x80x99. The auger speed will increase beyond that routinely used to make a food or beverage product, and agitate the water or solutions within the inner tube of the freezing chamber to thoroughly and expeditiously clean the inside surfaces of the freezing chamber. Once the cleaning cycle is complete, audible and/or visual signals are produced to signal the user that the cleaning process is done, after which the user would need to select the xe2x80x98Dispensexe2x80x99touch key or button that will eject the cleaning solution from the system. The present invention is sufficiently compact in configuration and light in weight, so as to be easily moved from one place to another in a domestic kitchen or one in a small eatery. It is self-contained, the user cannot check on the product part way though the freezing process except by disconnection of the system from its available power source, and the user is not required to separate components prior to cleaning it as the cleaning cycle is fully automatic. It is also versatile since it can produce a wide variety of food and beverage products, and since it can create consistent and desirable products in a short period of time and is so easy to use, a person preparing a meal could potentially several frozen food products freshly made for guests in the no more time than it would take to prepare the main course. Since the present invention is fully automated and is run by the touch of one button or key, it is simple enough for children to use, even younger children as long as adult supervision was nearby. Through use of a paired dispensing cap and receptacle that together prevent dispensing unless the dispensing cap is fully seated within the receptacle, preventing any mess. Even when one attempts to lift the dispensing cap from the receptacle after ingredient transfer into the receptacle, disconnection is spill-free as ingredient transfer is blocked again once the cap member begins to be lifted away from the receptacle. As an added convenience, when a bayonet turn is applied to the dispensing cap during the time it is seated within the receptacle, the cap member becomes locked within the receptacle and transfer can be hands-free. Also, the auger has a particular configuration and mixing action that is efficient in preparing a soft frozen product, and the freezing chamber has a configuration incorporating a thermally conductive inner tube and an non-conductive outer tube which together form a sealed chamber through which coolant can be dispersed evenly around the inner tube, allowing for rapid cooling of any food product being mixed within the inner tube. An inlet port, or ports evenly disposed about the freezing chamber, would introduce fluid flow under pressure around the outside of the freezing chamber for maintaining a substantially uniform temperature therein. Also, in addition to its other features, its compact self-contained design is attractive and allows for convenient dispensing of the product. No domestic ice creamer making or frozen beverage dispensing device is known with all of the features and advantages of the present invention.
The description herein provides preferred embodiments of the present invention but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the fully integrated, automated, programmable machine herein for preparing and dispensing smooth frozen foods and beverages. For example, variations in the number of inlet ports used in its freezing chamber; the positioning of some of the components within the chassis; the type of materials used for the chassis, outer housing, front cover, and dispensing head assembly; and the size of the receptacle and paired bottle cap; other than those shown and described herein may be incorporated into the present invention. Thus, the scope of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than being limited to the examples given.